


When the Looking Glass Breaks

by Bunny



Category: Naruto
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, F/F, F/M, Implied/Referenced Character Death, M/M, au meets canon
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-11-03
Updated: 2017-11-09
Packaged: 2019-01-29 01:10:28
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 10
Words: 15,699
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12619716
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Bunny/pseuds/Bunny
Summary: There are warnings and rules about the mysterious looking glass that resided inside the basement of the Hokage tower. Not that those ever stopped the number one knuckleheaded ninja.





	1. Chapter One

**Author's Note:**

> This is my attempt at writing something for NaNoWriMo. I am hoping to be able to complete it this year...
> 
> There are several OCs that shall be introduced throughout the story. I will post in the notes at the beginning of each chapter if a new character appears, and I will post little information snippets at the end of each chapter. 
> 
> There is also no beta for the story, so please be kind to any grammar mistakes I happen to miss.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> NEW CHARACTERS: Nariko Namikaze, Kaiya Inuzuka, and Shikako Nara

Naruto leaned against the door of the locked room as he waited as patiently as he could be. Kiba and Shikamaru were on their way, but they were taking forever. He couldn't wait much longer, but Shikamaru had warned him against doing this without them. After all the years of being friends with the lazy genius, Naruto knew to listen to him. He started tapping his foot against the stone floor and humming a random tune out loud when a noise from the stairs caught his attention. He stopped humming and was about to duck into the room, even against Shikamaru's warning, when he heard Kiba's voice.

"Hey look he didn't go into the room after all." Kiba laughed as he shoved at Shikamaru who was yawning and rubbing at the back of his head. Naruto knew that it was way late for the lazy ninja, but this had to be done now. The tower was just too busy during the day.

"Wonderful. Let's get this over with so I can get back and get some sleep." Shikamaru rolled his eyes at the two boys before moving to the door. Naruto had already unlocked it with the key he'd stolen from Tsunade's desk, so the door easily swung open. There wasn't a light switch, and Shikamaru had figured that. He brought out a flashlight he'd brung just for this reason and flipped it on. Hissing a bit as the light bounced off a reflective surface, and blasted him in the face. "Damn."

Naruto looked around the edge of the doorway, with Kiba looking in from the other side of Shikamaru. All three boys stared into the nearly empty room at the large silver mirror that sat in the center of the room. Naruto pointed down at the ground which drew the other boy's attention. Seals. The room was covered in them. Naruto had to frown as he tried to figure out some of them.

"Containment seals... at least I'm pretty sure that's what they are. Only really got through some basic stuff before..." He didn't say anything else and he didn't need to. He liked that about Kiba and Shikamaru. Neither one of them needed to be told what he was feeling or thinking. They had been friends for so long now that it just clicked with them. "But why would someone need to contain a mirror? What's so special about this old thing?" And the mirror was old. If Naruto had to guess the thing had probably had the whole of the tower built around it. Which wouldn't have made much sense.

"Does the fox have anything to say about it?" Shikamaru's attention wasn't on the mirror, but his blonde friend. Naruto knew why Shikamaru was watching him. He was known for leaping into situations without thinking, especially in situations like this. But Naruto knew better than to try that with Shikamaru there. "He's pretty old, has he ever heard about a mysterious mirror?"

Naruto frowned for a moment before he closed his eyes and focused a bit. Speaking to the fox always unsettled him a little bit. He was a very old demon spirit, and in theory, he should have a lot of knowledge to give. However, the damn fox never actually gave advice or knowledge to Naruto. Shikamaru had thought it odd too, but Kiba said it made sense. The dog boy had explained that foxes, in general, were pranksters themselves, so the fox would probably have found it hilarious that Naruto kept getting in trouble.

' _ **it's just a mirror. what does it matter what it does or doesn't do?**_ ' The old fox spirit hissed at his host and Naruto felt a chill run down his spine. ' _ **for once**_ i _ **am telling you to leave this alone.**_ ' With that, the fox kicked Naruto from his mind and growled at any time the blonde tried to speak to him again. Naruto reopened his eyes and shook his head at his friends.

"He wants me to leave this alone. But how can I? There's nothing in the library. Nothing in the archives. To the rest of the village, this mirror doesn't exist but here we are, standing not even ten feet from it. It's real and I want to know why it's down here." He looked down at the floor and frowned. "And why someone thought they had to place some serious sealing mojo on it. Cause this work... it's way beyond even what I think the old perv knew." Naruto kneeled down on the ground and reached out for the seals, he heard Shikamaru's quick intake of breath but he didn't stop moving. He had to know. He just had to.

"Maybe it's the perfect time to test a little theory of mine," Shikamaru said as he kneeled down to grab at Naruto's wrist just an inch before the blonde touched the seal. "I've been doing a bit of research. Mostly fishing for information on the Uzumaki name. You remember when we were kids and I thought I remembered it from an old story? Well, I was right." Kiba snorted from behind the two of them as Naruto rolled his eyes. Because of course, Shikamaru had been right. When wasn't he?

"Enough." Shikamaru sighed before shaking his head and staring back into the room. "Look the Uzumaki's were the founding clan of Uzushiogakure, a village which was completely destroyed before the start of the Third Shinobi War." Naruto looked up from the seal then with a very deep frown on his face. They had read about the destruction of that village once in school but it had never been mentioned that the name Uzumaki was associated with it. "From what I can gather, the other villages feared the Uzumaki and their power..." Shikamaru's eyes traced the lines of the seal. He could see pretty well in the dark, a family trait many didn't even know they had, and he could tell that the seal did more than just circle the mirror. It went up the walls and vanished too.

"Their power with fuinjutsu. They were famous for their sealing abilities. There wasn't much to go on after that bit of knowledge. It's like everything regarding the village and the Uzumaki's was trashed after the war broke out. I did find out that the only book on the village was checked out of the shinobi library but the Yondaime. Which, I'm gonna go out on a limb here, and say that he used that book to help him construct that seal that you have, Naruto." It made sense. The Yondaime was known to be a very intelligent man and that he had a knack for seals. He had created the seal on Naruto's stomach, and it would make sense that he'd gotten the details of it from the Uzushiogakure history book.

"Now, what if the Uzumaki had a kekkei genkai that let them create and manipulate seals, which is why they were so good with them?" Shikamaru pulled out a kunai from his pack and flipped it around to point it at Naruto. The blonde stared at his friend before anything clicked. His blood. Maybe his blood would react to the seal.

"It's worth a shot..." Naruto nodded as he took the kunai and pricked his finger, he watched the blood pool on his fingertip before he reached out towards the edge of the seal. "Now or never guys. There's no going back now..." Naruto grinned before he turned his hand and watched the single drop of blood fall from his finger to the black lines on the floor.

The moment the blood dripped onto the line, they started to glow a bright blue. Shikamaru shifted backward nearly bumping into Kiba's feet as the room was lit up in front of them. The room wasn't as empty as they had thought it had been. The mirror sat in the main circle of the room, the silver frame now lit up by the blue light of the seal. On the walls were burnt frames and broken mirrors, as if someone had destroyed everything else in the room. Kiba made a growling noise in the back of his throat as he shifted on his feet.

"This is messed up... who would do this?" Kiba's voice shook as he spoke, but he didn't move towards the room. Naruto nodded his head as he slowly got to his feet. The seal lines were starting to dull slightly, but as they did, the mirror started to glow. The duller the lines got, the brighter the light from the mirror became.

' ** _i want it known that_** i ** _said this was a bad idea._** ' The old fox spoke up once from Naruto's mind, and it made Naruto pause. A voice was coming from the mirror and it was faint enough that the three boys couldn't make out what it was.

"That was weird... did you two hear that?" Kiba asked as he now inched towards the door. His nose twitched and he frowned in confusion. "There's a scent coming from that mirror... like it's familiar but... not..." Kiba was confused even by his own words and Shikamaru was too busy watching the mirror to even speak. Naruto didn't know about the scent but the voice had been familiar. Something about it made a memory in his head surface but he couldn't place the feeling.

' _ **don't**_ brat _ **. leave now.**_ ' Ignoring the fox had become second nature by this point in his life. So he took another step towards the mirror, just as that faint voice from before spoke again.

"Jeez it smells like wet dog. Ew." It was clearly a female voice. A very annoyed voice that sounded so horribly familiar that it was batting Naruto in the head with a bat. But he still couldn't place it. At least he couldn't until the very in his face voice now had a face that was in his face grinning at him with a very canine friendly grin.

"Well you don't smell much like a dog, but you sure are cute." Naruto blinked and backed up slightly from the girl who had just walked through the mirror. He was going to have to ask Shikamaru about that one later because he wasn't so sure that was how mirrors were supposed to work.

"Damn it Kaiya, I told you that I was going first! It was my blood after all that got the damn thing open!" Another girl pushed the first girl to the side and beamed in Naruto's face. The blonde hair and bright blue eyes had Naruto's brain shorting out. He was looking into the face of his own jutsu, except he hadn't made a clone and he hadn't done the jutsu. "Shika you were wrong..." The non-clone walking jutsu turned back to stare at a longer haired girl who had just stepped out of the shadows. "I knew it was gonna happen sooner or later. My mom always said you can't be right one hundred percent of the time!" The blonde girl laughed loud and hard as her longer-haired friend rolled her eyes and sighed loudly.

"In my defense, Nariko, that scroll was very poorly worded." The girl took in the three boys in front of them and shook her head. "Alternate realities aren't supposed to be accessible by just a drop of blood and some squiggly lines on a dirty floor. Then again, you'd think that I would have stopped underestimating an Uzumaki by this point in our lives. Speaking of which... We should keep this male version of you far far away from Saya." That statement alone had the blonde girl squeaking and ducking back into the mirror. Naruto at this point was just about ready to freak out. Shikamaru and Kiba were stunned silent and for once he couldn't blame either of them. What was there to even say? They had stumbled on a mirror that just opened some portal to another world? Right. No one was going to believe them.

' _ **told you so, brat.**_ ' Leave it to the old fox bastard to say it. Naruto knew the situation the three of them were in was a bad one, but what could he do now?

Faint. That's what he could do and that's just what he did.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> _**Nariko Namikaze**_ is the female counterpart of Naruto Uzumaki. She is the daughter of the heir to the Uzumaki Legacy and the Yondaime. She is called, the Princess of Fire, by the people of Konoha. Growing up with two ultra famous parents wasn't easy for Nariko. She was targeted by enemies on all sides and was kidnapped too many times to count. Because of this she is rarely (if ever) seen without Kakashi Hatake by her side. The man acts as her genin sensei and her older brother, a mix that irritates and annoys Nariko to no end. When she isn't by her team's side, you could most likely find her with her grandmother, Tsunade, or getting her godfather Jiraiya into trouble. 
> 
> Personality wise, her and Naruto don't differ. She is still one of the most obnoxious and outgoing ninja in the whole village. She even has the same knack for making friends with just about everyone. Though she isn't as obsessed with Saya as Naruto is with Sasuke, she does tend to get more riled up when the dark haired girl is around. She considers Saya her rival while Kaiya and Shikako are her best friends. While not a secret to anyone who knows her, Nariko has a very large crush on Itachi, Saya's older brother. Compared to him, none of the other boys their age matters to her. Nariko has been known to do outlandish pranks or tricks just to get Itachi's attention. 
> 
> _**Kaiya Inuzuka**_ is the female counterpart to Kiba Inuzuka. The youngest child of the Inuzuka clan, Kaiya has to fight tooth and nail to get noticed. Unlike Kiba, she doesn't do this by being overly loud and rude. Instead, she does it by being as sweet as she can be. Kaiya's sweetness, however, is deceiving, as the girl is one of the most brutally honest person in the whole village. Do not let her sweet smile fool you. This girl has more bite than she lets on. 
> 
> _**Shikako Nara**_ is the female counterpart to Shikamaru Nara. The two share nearly all the same features and qualities, right down to their genius intellect and their lazy attitude towards life. Shikako, like Shikamaru, was also the only one in their class to pass the chunin exam the first time around. She badly wishes she had been placed on a team with Nariko as the two have been friends since they were little. Shikako's father and Nariko's father work together so often that the two could have been spotted running around the halls of the Hokage tower at all hours of the day. It also isn't unlikely to see Shikako following after Nariko while the girl completes some prank, normally being the one who talks any/all adults out of punishing the blonde.


	2. Chapter Two

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> NEW CHARACTER: Saya Uchiha

"He'll be fine." It was Shikamaru's voice that broke through the fog that was Naruto's current mindset. The fox was growling lowly but Naruto was ignoring that bit. The fox was already mad at him over this entire situation, so there was no point in even giving the demon any attention. Had he been right? Sure. Was Naruto ever going to tell him that? Nope.

"Are you sure? He hit his head pretty hard, and this is a stone floor." That had been the voice of his blonde non-clone jutsu. Nariko? That's what the one girl had called her, right? She sounded really worried. "I know everyone says I have a hard head, but that doesn't mean I can hit my head on hard things and just... walk it off." She was clearly pouting, Naruto knew that tone of voice. He'd used it plenty of times on Tsunade and Sakura. It never worked.

"He's different than most... and you should know that?" Shikamaru's voice was just dripping with questions. If he could open his eyes, he knew he'd see Shikamaru staring at the girl as if he could answer all the questions just with a look. "How come you don't know that? You're him, but not. That's how you explained it." Shikamaru's tone had taken a hard edge and Naruto could bet that the blonde hadn't really explained things to Shikamaru's standards. Naruto knew that feeling. He'd never been able to explain anything to Shikamaru's liking.

"Well yeah. I mean clearly, I'm not a girl, Shika." Naruto couldn't keep his friend in the dark about him coming back to consciousness and blinked open his eyes with a smirk. His blonde female counterpart jumped up and screamed while pointing at him.

"You should be dead! How are you not dead?!" Her voice was high pitched and he rubbed at his ear to stop it from ringing. He shook his head as he took Kiba's outstretched hand to help him stand up. The dog boy wasn't really paying attention to Naruto though. His eyes were lingering on the other girls in the room, more specifically the girl with the same clan marks as he had. If Nariko was Naruto's female counterpart, this girl was clearly Kiba's.

Naruto wasn't in a hurry to answer his counterpart's question, he was a bit busy looking her over and trying to figure out what was different. Clearly, she had long hair and was obviously a woman. The orange outfit was a bit different, with a skirt and short leggings taking the place of his pants, and a long-sleeved blue shirt underneath a bright orange vest with the same markings as his coat. It was adorned with the typical ninja wraps and packs, and her vest had a few odd pins too.

But the one thing he couldn't get over was the missing scars on her cheeks.

"Like Shikamaru said, I'm different from most." He shoved his hands into his pockets as the girl pouted at him and crossed her arms over her chest. He could have sworn she was holding her breath in some kind of protest at the non-answer he'd just given her. Something he'd grown out of doing after he met Iruka.

"He's talking about Kurama, Nariko." The new voice had Naruto turning to face the brown-haired girl who was leaning against the wall and watching the scene with a bored look on her face. One that would normally be mirrored on Shikamaru. She was clearly Shikamaru's counterpart. Naruto wanted to snap a picture to show to Ino because even with the way she was slouching against the wall and the bored look on her face, the girl was beautiful.

' _ **brat knows too much.**_ ' The demon fox's voice was softer than normal as if he'd been shocked by the reveal of his name. Something Naruto hadn't even known before that moment. He would have to ask about that little fact later, but for now, he'd let it slide. The fox didn't say anything else though, which was either a good thing or a bad thing.

"That's not possible. Mom is the host for Kurama. How'd..." The blonde girl had stopped mid-sentence and had gasped, turning now tear-filled out back towards Naruto himself. Naruto was a bit taken aback by it. "Where's momma and poppa?" The voice she used was softer than anything he'd ever thought he'd be capable of. He wasn't even sure at first if the question was directed at him, until she had hiccuped and launched herself into Naruto's arms. There were tears in the girl's eyes as she clung to Naruto.

"It's okay... um... Nariko? You can... you can stop now." Naruto patted the girl on the back and looked over to his friends for help. Neither boy moved to help him and he wanted to scream. This was the craziest situation he'd ever found himself in.

"So that's where you disappeared to..." The new voice came from the direction of the mirror and Naruto peaked over Nariko's head to see who it belonged to. Standing there was a pale skinned, dark-eyed, ebony haired, beauty. Naruto's heart stuttered in his chest as he looked at her, knowing instantly who's counterpart this was. "What are you blubbering about this time, Nariko?"

It was like someone had flipped a switch, and Naruto was sure he got whiplash from looking at the blonde back to the dark-haired girl. Instantly the tears were gone and a pure furry had overtaken the bright blue eyes.

"Saya!" The furry in her voice was real and Naruto knew how it felt to be angry at an Uchiha. He also knew that though the blonde was angry at her friend at the moment, it would pass. "Did you follow me, again?! Get your own life, Uchiha!" The blonde turned her back on the dark haired girl, who was smirking at her. Naruto could feel the eyes on him and before he could even move he suddenly had a very beautiful girl in his arms.

"And who is this you're trying to hide, princess? Aren't you even going to introduce your best friend? How very rude of you." The girl held out a hand to Naruto, who blinked down at it stupidly. This was happening? Of course, it was. Because today wasn't weird enough. "Saya Uchiha. It is an absolute pleasure." She was batting her eyes at Naruto, and he could hear Kiba snickering behind him.

"Naruto... I'm... Naruto Uzumaki." He took the hand and might have made a meep type noise as Saya used his hand to pull herself into his chest.

"Wait... no. You can't be. You're a Namikaze like me... aren't you?" It was Nariko's voice, and she was busy pushing Saya away from Naruto, which he was very thankful for. But the look in Nariko's eyes was now concerning. "I mean mom's an Uzumaki, but we're Namikaze's...." She seemed to look back at Saya and the brown-haired girl for back up but both had different looks and neither looked helpful. Saya looked like she could eat Naruto, and the brunette was watching him as if he were some puzzle.

"Namikaze? As in the Yondaime? The hell are you on girl? I mean yeah okay I'll buy this alternate universe through a portal thing, sure why the hell not. I'll even buy that this chick here's a female version of me. But what you're saying right now is that the fourth Hokage, our most badass Hokage ever, had a kid and none of us knew? Bullshit." Kiba was so mad he was growling and Naruto honestly couldn't blame him. The two of them had admired the Yondaime since they first heard about him.

"Actually..." Shikamaru rubbed the back of his neck as he Kiba and Naruto turned to look at him. "It makes sense." The genius sighed and closed his eyes. Naruto was watching him, and his heart was pounding wildly in his chest. Was Shikamaru actually suggesting what he thought? "You aren't the only one who was born that night, and the Yondaime just happened to get you? Plus... look at you." Shikamaru's eyes snapped over to Naruto and Nariko and smiled slightly. "You could be his twin Naruto." Naruto had to admit that he did have a little resemblance to the man.

"You do look just like him. Right now to that silly spiky haircut." Nariko reached up and messed up the spikes, and Naruto grabbed her hand to hold it as he watched her. "It's not a joke... I wouldn't joke about my poppa. He's the best thing in the world, well second best. Momma comes first, always." She grinned and laughed a bit and was about to continue when a loud voice came from the doorway.

"NARUTO UZUMAKI, WHAT DID I TELL YOU ABOUT THIS BASEMENT!?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> _**Saya Uchiha**_ is the female counterpart to Sasuke Uchiha. Many things in Saya's life differ from Sasuke's own experiences. For starters, her uncle (not technically her uncle but old enough to be anyways), Obito, survived the Kannabi Bridge mission. He would go on to become a Jonin along with Kakashi. The two became senseis, and though Obito's team ultimately failed his test, the Yondaime placed him with Kakashi's team. The greatest difference though was the slaughter of the clan itself. While Saya still lost her parents (and the rest of the clan) at a young age, her uncle Obito and her brother Itachi survived the attacks of that night. Obito took in the two young Uchiha, not wanting their family to be torn apart any more than it already had been. 
> 
> Unlike her male counterpart, Saya enjoys the attention she receives from her various fan club members. Rarely quiet, Saya has no qualms with voicing the thoughts that come into her head the moment they appear. If someone doesn't like what she has to say, then that is their problem, not hers. While she does consider Nariko her best friend, she's also Nariko's toughest judge when the girl does things wrong and if very quick to point out her faults. Her current goal in life is to surpass her brother and uncle in power, a goal she's finding great difficulty in accomplishing with her current team arrangement.


	3. Chapter Three

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> NEW CHARACTERS: Shuichi Haruno, Inochi Yamanaka, Chouko Akimichi, Ruri Lee

It was like a ghost had just appeared in the room, the group of teens all froze. Scared and nervous energy fluttered about as they all slowly turned towards the sound of the voice. Every single one of them knew who it belonged to, every single one of them knew they were in trouble, and every single one of them knew that running away wasn't an option. 

"Baa-chan, I can explain..." It was echoed by two voices. One male, one female voice spoke at the same time. Everyone else in the room spared the two looks briefly before turning their attention back to the fuming woman in the doorway. 

"Enough! I want all of you in my office, now. And yes I mean all of you..." The glare Tsunade sent was directed at the four girls who weren't being very sneaky as they attempted to make it to the mirror. "That means your friends who are milling around the other side of that damn portal. You idiots have no idea what you've done..." She seemed more irritated then angry at that point and turned on her heels and headed down the hallway. 

Naruto turned his attention to the new girls and narrowed his eyes. Tsunade had obviously known Naruto was going to do this or else she would have made sure the door there had been more secure. So something else was going on. Yes, she was going to be angry, but she hadn't been. She'd been annoyed and irritated, but not angry. He noticed then that the black seal lines that had adorned the floor of the room, were missing, and the mirror's light was no longer dimming or brightening. 

"They followed you!?" Nariko turned her angry and loud voice towards Saya who had just shrugged and tapped on the edge of the silver frame. The blonde clearly wasn't okay with this and had failed her arms and moved to block the way. But a moment later she squeaked as someone picked her up and carried her into the room. "Shuichi!!! Let me go you big baboon!" Nariko punched the pink haired man in the back once and screamed loudly as said man then flicked her off his shoulder and towards the ground. 

Before she hit the ground, another man appeared to help catch her. His boy's hair was falling into his eyes, but he was clearly a Hyuuga. With a meek smile, he helped Nariko back to her feet and then stepped back, nervously playing with the sleeves of his jacket. 

"How is it that I leave you alone for five minutes and you three idiots find yourselves into trouble? Inochi and I had to bribe Saya here into tracking your asses down! Do you have any idea how annoying Kakashi sensei gets when he can't find you?" Shuichi loomed over Nariko by at least two feet, his hands on his hips as he glared at the girl. 

"She's way more trouble than she's worth, shouldn't you know that already Forehead?" A blonde man grinned as he stepped around the pink haired man to grin at Nariko. "Then again, she wouldn't be our little princess if she wasn't." Nariko didn't take very kindly to this and batted away the blonde man's hand as he tried to touch her. The glare on her face could have set him on fire if she had that ability. 

"Inochi, you should taunt Nariko like that. You know what she's capable of..." Shikako came up behind Inochi and grabbed his arm, pulling him back from the irate blonde girl he'd been taunting. Another girl, came to help and Shikako smiled softly at her. "Sorry, they dragged you into this too Chouko." The girl shook her head and popped the sucker she'd been eating out of her mouth for a moment. 

"It's alright, Shikako. I mean I wasn't really doing anything." The girl giggled slightly and popped the sucker back into her mouth. Things were getting a little crazy in the room and a loud cry from the mirror proved that things were about to get worse. 

"NORIKO! MY FRIEND! WE HAVE FINALLY FOUND YOU!" Nariko's face whitened as she squeaked and cursed loudly. Naruto wanted to laugh but soon found himself being used as a shield as his counterpart cowered behind him. "I told you we would find them Noriko!" The loud voice's owner bounced from foot to foot as a tall brown haired male held her back by the back of her very green qípáo she was wearing. 

"Yes yes Ling, you were right once. It was bound to happen sooner or later." The dark-haired woman who stepped around the female version of Rock Lee (cause it clearly could be no one else), made a beeline for Nariko. Naruto knew right away this woman was Neji's counterpart. The Hyuuga eyes staring at him made it very clear. "Princess, you really have to stop these unnecessary explorations. Especially without adequate backup." Naruto didn't know what to think as his female counterpart continued to cling to him instead of acknowledging the Hyuuga.

"I think we better move. I don't know how the old lady is in your guy's neck of the woods, but here... she'd bound to bring the place down around us with a pinkie if we keep her waiting." Kiba laughed nervously from the doorway, which Naruto hadn't even noticed him moving towards. Then again, Tsunade put a great fear into the dog boy after the last time Naruto and he had gotten into trouble. He was terrified of the lady, and Naruto was sure nothing was going to change that. 

Luckily no one argued with Kiba and Nariko yipped and took off out of the room to follow the dog boy. Naruto eyed Shikamaru who was trying very hard to avoid the male version of Ino (and that was going to give Naruto nightmares he was sure of it) before he made his way out of the room. So far Naruto was sure most of the Rookie 9 and Lee's team, had made their way through the portal into the room. It was going to be a mess if Tsunade had invited everyone to her office. 

Walking into the hall he noticed Nariko standing there staring up the stairs with a sad look on her face. Naruto moved up to her and placed a hand on her shoulder. She didn't start or jump and looked up at Naruto with those sad eyes and Naruto pulled her into a hug. He'd always thought of Shikamaru and Kiba like brothers, considering that he'd never had siblings growing up. But right that moment he had a sister, it was easier to think of her like that, and he wanted nothing more than to make that look in her eye disappear. 

"Hey, it's going to be okay. I know it's gonna be weird, but it'll be okay." Naruto wasn't sure who he was trying to convince at this point. He knew that whatever had been happening here, it wasn't going to be easy to handle. But they'd handle it cause that's just what they did. 

"Not just weird... heartbreaking. That office is my dad's. Not seeing him sitting behind that desk is going to just..." She shook her head before hiding it in Naruto's shoulder. He wrapped his arms around her and held her as she got herself under control. "I don't know how you did it... how... I don't think I could have. Without them I... I wouldn't be anything." Naruto frowned and pulled her back, holding her at arm's length. 

"Hey. No. You'd still be you. Because I'm still me. I might not have had parents but I still had people who cared about me. I had Iruka, who did everything a dad should have. Then I had Kakashi, who's lazy and a perv and doesn't honestly teach us anything, but he was still there for me. Tsunade would literally fight anyone who ever tried to hurt me, and trust me she has." He wanted to bring up Jirayai but he didn't want her to start crying again. He knew he couldn't bring the man up without his own sadness over his death coming through. He'd keep that from here for as long as he could. "I've had friends and I built my own family. It isn't the same as having a mom and dad, but it worked and I'm still going to be Hokage and I'm still going to be the best damn ninja in the world. Believe it." He grinned at her and found her grinning back up at him.

"Hokage huh? Dad'd love that." Nariko giggled before turning and skipping up the stairs. Naruto had to shake his head as he followed after her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> _**Shuichi Haruno**_ is the male counterpart to Sakura Haruno. Born to civilian parents, Shuichi grew up thinking that he was going to be plain and odd his whole life. Born with bright pink hair and picked on for it being 'overly girly', Shuichi grew to hate his fellow classmates. Until he met Inochi, he had planned to quit trying to be himself and just fill whatever void the people wanted him to be. Inochi (much like Ino had for Sakura) talked Shuichi into just being himself. While Sakura keeps her inner-self locked up inside her head, Shuichi IS that inner-self. At a young age, Shuichi realized that denying that part of him was just giving in to people and that wasn't something he wanted for himself. Instead of being uber obsessed with the last Uchiha female, Shuichi focuses on his brilliance in the medical field. He has vowed to someday overthrow the Lady Tsunade as the world's best healer. 
> 
> _**Inochi Yamanaka**_ is the male counterpart to Ino Yamanaka. The heir and only child of the main branch to the famous Yamanaka family, he'd been groomed from a young age to find a girl that would fit him perfectly and to further their clan. Inochi's mother was the driving force of this and because of her influence, Inochi found himself mildly obsessed with Saya Uchiha. He honestly believes that Saya and him were going to get married and combine the two famous clans. He's self-obsessed and way too focused on how he looks, which sometimes causes problems with his team. 
> 
> _**Chouko Akimichi**_ is the female counterpart to Chouji Akimichi. Like her counterpart, Chouko is a typical child of the famous Akimichi clan. She is always seen snacking on something or another (her favorites are chocolate bonbons), or in some rare cases following Shikako. Growing up, Chouko had very few friends. Shikako and her became good friends because of the closeness of their houses. They took to walking to school each day and eventually Chouko was included in some of the adventures Shikako and Nariko would go on. When she finally became a ninja she told herself that she was going to be as great a ninja as her father. She eventually wants to be a jonin sensei, so she can train young ninja to believe in themselves. 
> 
> _**Ruri Lee**_ is the female counterpart of Rock Lee. Ruri grew up with only every knowing her mother. She knew at a young age that she had no talent for chakra activities and knew that being a ninja might be impossible. But her mother always made she knew that nothing was ever impossible. Ruri had no friends while in the academy and had to fight tooth and nail to get anywhere. She wasn't very good with weapons, no good at all at jutsu, and her taijutsu skills were laughable. But she never gave up and she never gave in to the bullying. All of this paid off in the end and Ruri ended up under the wing of Gai. She considers Nariko her 'eternal rival' much like Kakashi is to Gai. It isn't much of a secret that Ruri has a gigantic crush on Shuichi.


	4. Chapter Four

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sorry, this is a bit of a filler chapter.

Tsunade had a headache. She had a headache unlike anything she'd ever had, and she'd had some legendary ones. She leaned back in her office chair and rubbed at her temples. She knew that sooner or later the mirror in the basement that her grandmother had grown her, would come back to haunt her. The story her grandmother had told her was about an evil world with an evil man. She had always assumed that the mirror would bring nothing but death and destruction to the village, which was why the woman had sealed the mirror away and her grandfather had built the tower around it. 

Tsunade knew better. 

The mirror wasn't just a one-way doorway. Orochimaru had done plenty of research on the thing the moment he'd found out about it, and Tsunade (being the curious girl she had been) went along with it all. The duo had found multiple universes with all different types of people. The most interesting one had been a mostly peaceful world, where the third war had ended way sooner than it had in their own world. Tsunade had wanted to go to that world, where her brother and lover were still alive but had been unable to. Orochimaru had locked the mirror onto that world before he'd vanished from the village. 

When Tsunade had returned to the village she'd gone down to the basement to see the mirror and had noticed how dark and cold it had become. The seals on the floor had been altered slightly over the years and Tsunade had to smile as she remembered tracing the new marks. Uzumaki marks, made by Kushina Uzumaki herself. Of course, Minato Namikaze and Jirayai had altered the seals more, but the Uzumaki seals were the ones Tsunade always returned too. They reminded her of her grandmother. That old woman who was always more bitter than sweet. Who was so overly cautious about everything because her husband loved to just rush into situations without thinking. 

The memories were nice to think about, but they always didn't help her headache. With all the good the seals had been doing, a single drop of Uzumaki blood had undone them all. But it hadn't been that simple. At the same time that Naruto had dripped his blood onto the seal, his counterpart had to drip her blood onto the opposite lines. It was an impossible situation, but Tsunade knew that when you mixed the Uzumaki and Namikaze blood together, nothing was impossible. 

Naruto and his counterpart had made the perfect situation and the doorway had been opened. Now Tsunade had to deal with it. She wasn't sure how she was going to do it yet, but she knew it would have to be handled before things got out of control. Keeping the doorway open for too long would cause damage to the more unstable world. Tsunade wasn't sure if that was her own world or the peaceful one on the other side of the mirror. But she couldn't take a chance. 

Even if it was going to break Naruto's heart all over again.


	5. Chapter Five

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Another filler chapter I'm afraid... there's probably gonna be at least one more.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> NEW CHARACTERS: Ai, Keiko, Takashi
> 
> (Within my story Rasa (the fourth Kazekage) was Kushina's brother. He dropped the last name Uzumaki after the death of his parents. Yes, I am aware this is NOT canon. But it's my story.)

"I'm telling you, father, something is wrong. Shikako never misses a meetup, ever. This so isn't like her. They're hiding something from us. I just know it!" The sandy blonde man paced back and forth before his father, his arms crossed over his chest. His eyes kept flicking back to the door, probably hoping someone was coming to inform them that the young woman he'd been waiting on had arrived. But no one was coming. Keiko knew her brother like she knew her own puppets. He'd tear the town apart looking for his girlfriend and no one would stop her. Not even their younger sister. 

As it was, Ai might just help Takashi. Keiko was sure of it. Because if Shikako was missing, then that meant that Nariko was missing. Ai didn't care for many people, but their young cousin Nariko was her best friend. The duo had been a force of nature since the time they met, still in diapers and rolling around on the floor of the Kazekage mansion. Keiko remembered watching the two girls grow up in that house and eventually their trips to the Land of Fire had increased to where it seemed the sibling trio was spending more time in Konoha then they were in Suna. Not that their aunt Kushina minded at all. She loved having the three of them there. They were full reminders that though her brother and she had never been close, they were still family, and nothing was more important to Kushina than family. 

"Listen to me very closely, Takashi..." Rasa stood from his seat, his eyes narrowing at his eldest. "Whatever it is that your little girlfriend is doing, it has to be vastly more important than your little play date." He had made no arguments about joining his children on their trip to the village this month, but it hadn't been to see Shikako like Takashi had first thought. Rasa had come because he'd had a strange dream about losing his children beyond a mirror's glass. He'd wrote ahead to Minato voicing his concerns, but the man had reassured him said mirror was still sealed and very much kept under close observations. He hadn't been completely convinced and joined his children to see for himself. 

Of course, the mirror had been sealed away and the ANBU guards were stationed there like always. Rasa had nothing to fear from the object, but something continued to nag at him. He wasn't a follower of his family's sealing skills, so the seals surrounding the thing were just like a child's scribblings to him. But Kushina had reassured him herself, and that had made him leave the area without a fight. He'd come to relax with his children and had found Takashi pacing. 

"Nariko is missing..." Ai's soft voice spoke from the window seat, her eyes were closed and a wisp of sand circled around her head by the open window. Apparently, while her brother had been freaking out about his missing girlfriend, Ai had searched out her cousin. This made Rasa set his book to the side and finally take more notice of his children. 

"What do you mean, missing?" Rasa stood up and moved to the window seat, placing a soft hand on Ai's small shoulder. Even at seventeen, the little redhead was still too small for her age. Rasa knew that putting too much pressure on Ai's mother had been the cause of her premature birth. He took the full blame for his daughter's sickly state and had sought out every possibility he could think of to protect her. Karura always laughed at him and called him overprotective, but he didn't care. Ai was his baby girl, his princess, he wasn't going to allow anyone to harm her. In the end, Ai was the main reason he had gone to the One-Tailed Biju for help. Shukaku had never been known for being the helpful sort, but something about Ai had changed that. Shukaku had agreed to bond with the small girl, and ever since a strange sand followed her everywhere. They called it an Ultimate Defense, and Rasa was sure that Ai was molding it after his own jutsu. It filled him with pride and helped settle her fear. With Shukaku always with her, Rasa knew she'd be safe. It was just enough to tip things in Au's favor later in her life when she convinced her father to allow her to become a ninja of their village. Like her cousin had done. 

"Her chakra is not within the village. I can not find her." Ai's bright green eyes looked up at her father with as much worry as he'd ever seen in them. He'd never seen his youngest daughter shed a tear, but he had seen her scared only once before. When they had received word that a mission Nariko had been on had resulted in her returning to the village injured. Ai had feared for her cousin and had made the journey from Suna to be at her bedside as she healed. Before she had left, Rasa had seen her eyes shine with tears of pure raw fear. But the tears never left her eyes. 

"Okay... so Takashi's girlfriend is missing... Nariko is missing... Dad maybe Takashi is right..." Keiko couldn't believe she was saying this as she looked ran a hand through her short hair. "I'll go and see if I can find Kaiya. That nose of hers might be able to help..." Keiko didn't wait for an answer and quickly left the apartment. He couldn't stand seeing the way his father kept Ai in a protective bubble, and he couldn't stand seeing Ai upset at all. She'd vowed to never let anything ever hurt her little sister, but he didn't know how to fix this. He knew Kaiya and her clan were good trackers and knew Kaiya sometimes hung out with Nariko. It would have to do, at least he was doing something. Takashi would be able useless until their father snapped at him. 

Rasa knew that his middle child disliked Ai being upset just as much as he did. He also knew that Takashi was going to be a pain until he snapped into action to find his missing girlfriend. He stood back up from the window seat, knowing that Ai's eyes would follow him. 

"Your mother should be back soon. Ai please stay here and explain that I've gone to the Hokage to speak to him about this. Takashi..." He grabbed his son's arm and stopped him mid-pace, turning him to face him. "Go and see the Nara family. Maybe Shikako told her father where she was going today." Takashi's eyes, first wide with unexpectedness, were now filled with the same determination that Rasa was used to seeing in his son's eyes. He didn't have to tell the boy twice before he was darting from the room, only stopping to snag up his overly large fan. 

He spared a single glance back at Ai, the girl hadn't moved a muscle since he'd moved from the seat before he was moving out the door. Ai would stay in the apartment until Karura got back, then she'd go and search on her own. Rasa knew this, he didn't like it, but he knew that Ai would do anything for her cousin. He took a deep breath as he pulled the door closed completely and then headed towards the looming tower. Someone had to have answers, and he wasn't going to stop asking until he found the one with them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **_Ai Uzumaki_** is the female counterpart of Gaara. Unlike Gaara, Ai's mother was not subjected to possession by the one-tailed Biju. Instead, Karura, under pressure and stress from her brother and husband, gave birth prematurely. Ai for the better part of her childhood was a very sick girl. Her interactions with others outside her family was limited, as her father blamed himself for her state. Rasa sought out the help of the one-tailed Biju who resided in the desert sands near Suna. Connecting in ways no one is sure of, Shukaku agreed to bond with Ai. The small redhead girl has the same Ultimate Defense as her male counterpart, but none of his thirst for blood. She became a ninja after learning that her cousin Nariko had become one. She has vowed to one day become the very first female Kazekage of the Sand. 
> 
> **_Keiko Uzumaki_** is the female counterpart to Kankuro. Keiko isn't as headstrong or sure of herself as her male counterpart is. She second guesses herself and in overly stressful situations has developed a stutter. Her mother believes the pressure and stress of having an overbearing older brother and a sickly younger sister, helped in the creation of the stutter and Keiko's dwindling self-confidence. Keiko still has the same knack for puppets as her male counterpart does, however, she has the added bonus of being trained with them by the legendary ninja, Sasori. 
> 
> **_Takashi Uzumaki_** is the male counterpart to Temari. Headstrong and quick to anger, Takashi is as much a force of nature as the wind he commands. He knew at a young age the path he wanted to take, one that would make him a true Wind Master, and has done everything he can to make sure he stays on that path. After entering his first Chunin Exam, Takashi gained the rank and continued to excel. During the exam, she was forced into a battle with Shikako Nara and found himself falling head over heels for the lazy genius. Though his family brings him to Konoha plenty during their many visits, Takashi has taken to picking up as many missions as he can that brings him into the Land of Fire's ninja village. He has only adjusted his plan to include marrying the Nara girl.


	6. Chapter Six

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> With this chapter, I hit the 8,600-word mark. This will be the longest fic I've ever written. Also, I was gonna call this a filler chapter but clearly it didn't turn out that way. Hope you guys are enjoying this.

Minato Namikaze always thought of himself as a calm man. But ever since he became a father, he was wondering if maybe that had just been a clever mask he'd worn. Nariko hadn't been an overly difficult child by any means, but as the girl grew older, she grew more adventurous and more troublesome. Teaming up with the young Inuzuka and young Nara girls hadn't helped matters any. Kushina never helped anything either. She encouraged her daughter to explore and to celebrate her youth and energy. It was an Uzumaki thing, is what he was told every single time he brought it all up. 

He was glad his daughter took after her mother. Kushina's unlimited energy and overly positive outlook on life had helped her through some dark times in her youth and would prove valuable to Nariko when the girl was older. He just wished the girl had gained a small bit of his own personality. If she was just a little more of a thinker instead of a reactor, maybe they wouldn't be in the situation they were currently in. 

That situation being, his only child was currently lost in an alternate universe. 

Minato knew before too long, Rasa would come ask about at least two of the missing children. He had been lucky that Itachi was out on a mission for still another week, if Saya's elder brother had been there, Minato wouldn't have even a moment of peace. He still wasn't even sure if the four girls had gone alone. Reaching out to any of the jonin senseis might set off warning bells for a few of them, and would alert others to the problem. It just wasn't an option at the moment, so he was stuck. He didn't even have his advisor with him because Shikaku had the morning off and had yet to come into the office. 

A loud groan escaped him as he finally stood up from his desk chair and stared at the open door that led down into the sealing chamber, that stupid mirror sat in. He should have listened to Jiraiya when he'd taken office and had the mirror smashed, but Orochimaru had fought so hard to keep it protected and after the man's death, Minato hadn't had the heart to destroy the item the man had protected so hard and long. 

He took a single step towards the door when someone's voice cleared from the window. He glanced over for just an instant and gave the older man a smile. 

"Did I come at a bad time, brat?" Minato shook his head and leaned against the door frame, facing the window with his back to the opening. "You look worse than when Kushina was pregnant... she isn't is she? Cause I don't think we'd be able to hold back Kurama a second time." Minato shook his head again as the man jumped off the window sill and approached him. 

"Nariko opened the seal guarding the looking glass, and now her and several of the other chunin are missing." Minato's voice was quiet as he spoke and he knew Jirayai would get the point behind it. The mirror itself wasn't the problem. The problem was what lay beyond it. They didn't know what universe the girls had fallen into and if it was a bad one, he could lose his only child. "I have no idea who followed after her, and I have no idea how long they've been gone. I know she left early this morning to hang out with Kaiya and Shikako, so it'd probably safe to assume those two are at least with her." 

The older man didn't need to be told anything more as he descended the stairs, reaching behind him to snag the white cloak of Minato as he moved. The two of them would need to go through the portal and get the missing kids. Minato already knew this, but he'd been putting it off because he was still needed in the village. He was the Hokage after all. 

"Look, kid, I don't know what your reasons have been for keeping this damn thing, but we should have destroyed it years ago." Jiraiya's voice was booming off the walls as they moved down the stairs. The light from the seal room was still flooding into the stairwell and that was a good sign. Still didn't tell him how long it'd been open, but it meant it was still open. "Orochimaru should have destroyed it instead of toying with it. That other world meant nothing to him and it means nothing to you either. Once that silly girl of yours has been returned, we blast this thing into a million pieces. Understood?" Jirayai stopped just outside the door and turned on his heels to glare at Minato. 

"Yes sensei." Minato couldn't argue with the man, and together they stepped into the room. Minato stopped as he stared at the mirror, the only thing in the room still glowing, and the image that was reflected back at him. It was the same room, but inside that room was empty. The girls were gone, exploring the new world no doubt. He gulped as he watched Jirayai walk up to the mirror, he watched the older man as he inspected the silver frame. "The last time I saw a portal open with that thing, the other side of the image was nothing but fire and blood. That's not the same world... did Orochimaru figure out how to alter which world it opens to?" Minato's question was an innocent one, but it needed an answer. Jirayai however couldn't answer him and just shrugged. Of course, Orochimaru wouldn't have shared his finding with the white-haired man. They had never seen eye to eye on the mirror, Jirayai wanting it destroyed the moment the three sannin had found the thing in the cellar when they were still genin. 

"Enough talk and enough stalling." Jirayai didn't say another world before he stepped through the portal, Minato, with no other choice now, followed his sensei with a loud sigh. "And stop with that sighing crap. We're trying to save your daughter here from..." Jirayai paused as they both entered the new room and looked around. They could hear voices coming from the doorway and both of the seasoned ninja used the edges of the doorframe to block the new arrives view of them. 

"Anko she just wants us to make sure the room gets locked back up, you don't have to take this so seriously." It was Kakashi Hatake's voice but the man who stepped into the room wasn't like the man either Minato or Jirayai had known since he was a baby. This man had a slouch and was clearly missing an eye. Minato wanted to gasp but he kept it in by biting his lip. With a flick, he could be out of the room but Jirayai had never mastered the technique and he wasn't about to leave the man there. So instead he stepped forward and grinned widely. 

"Hello, Kakashi." He probably was expecting the kunai to his throat and being pressed hard into the wall, but he'd thought Kakashi would be the one doing so. Instead, he stared down into the face of Anko Mitarashi. The woman's eyes were narrowed and he knew she was felling him out with chakra, trying to see if he was using some kind of jutsu. He wasn't and that seemed to make her angry. "Now Anko, is that honestly anyway to treat your Hokage?" He gave her the same wide grin he was known for but all it did was make her start growling. Something wasn't right. His heart was beating faster now, and he looked up just in time to see Kakashi lift the slanted headband to reveal the Sharingan. Shock flooded him and his blood ran cold. That was Obito's eye. Minato didn't need to be a medic-nin or a sensor to tell. He'd been looking into those eyes for years now, he knew them. Kakashi having it could only mean one thing. Obito was dead.

"Anko release him... it's... it's him." Kakashi's voice was soft and he recovered the eye before he was moving to disarm the woman. The man was shaking and Minato reached out to him. The moment he touched Kakashi's arms the man slouched into him, shaking with held back emotion. Obito wasn't the only one dead on this world it seemed. What could Nariko be even thinking? The poor girl didn't know the loss of a parent, she had never even faced the loss of a follow ninja yet. There was no way his daughter was handling any of this knowledge well. He had to find her, and he noticed then that Jirayai was missing. While the two jonin had been distracted by him, the elder man had slipped out of the room. Good. He'd be able to find Nariko and get her out of there, maybe before she realized that her father was dead. 

"I hate that stupid mirror," Anko growled before spinning away from the scene and staring back at the mirror. Kakashi, with was gentle help from Minato, stood back up. Minato took a deep breath before smiling sadly at the young man he'd helped raise from a child. 

"I can't stay long. I just need to collect my daughter and..." He was stopped when he noticed both jonin were staring at him with curious expressions. "You didn't know she was here... Oh, that's a good sign. It means maybe her friends have kept her out of causing a scene... for now." He wanted to laugh but the looks he was getting made him keep a lid on it. 

"You said daughter... don't you mean... son?" It was Kakashi's voice that finally answered him and Minato frowned. Of course, he didn't mean son. Kushina had been so upset that she'd had a girl at first, but Minato had been excited. A girl meant that she wouldn't have to deal with carrying on a cursed name, from either side. It meant she had a completely unwritten future ahead of her. Did he want a son? Of course, he did. But he had wanted a daughter so much more. 

"Minato..." The next voice came from the door and Jirayai was standing there, holding the frame as if his life depended on it. "You need to come see this... now." He didn't need to be told twice and ducked around Kakashi and Jirayai and made his way down the corridor and up the stairs at a record pace. His heart was hammering in his heart as the door to the office sat open before him. He could hear his daughters voice, but she wasn't talking to anyone he knew. The voice was familiar but not. Heart still racing, he pushed open the door and then froze. Because standing in the middle of his office wasn't just his daughter and her missing friends... 

But a boy who could only be his son.


	7. Chapter Seven

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> NEW CHARACTER: Hiroshi Hyuuga

"Poppa!" Nariko spun Naruto around to face the man standing slack-jawed in the doorway that lead down into the basement. She giggled as she nearly jumped into the man's arms, clinging to him and smiling so brightly Naruto thought her face might split into two. The man had been ready for the attack from the girl and easily scooped her into his arms. Nariko giggling even louder. But Naruto could see where his eyes were locked. Right onto him. Everyone in the room except for Nariko was silent, and Naruto could see how white Tsunade was getting. She was holding onto the desk so hard it was starting to splinter. 

"Hello everyone. I do hope my daughter hasn't caused too much trouble." Minato smiled nervously as he took in the group in the room. Shikako and Kaiya were there of course, just like he'd figured they would be. Standing close to his young blonde look-alike was Saya, who was watching the scene with the same calculating look she always wore. Inochi and Shuichi were standing off to the side, identical looks of furry barely hidden. He wasn't even surprised to see Ruri, Noriko, and Tatsuo there. Ruri was sure to follow Nariko through anything as long as she could prove she could do it too. What was surprising was the quiet boy who was standing just to the side of Chouko, trying to hide in his jacket. 

Hiroshi Hyuuga wasn't the type to follow Kaiya on her adventures, even if the boy seemed to have some sort of crush on Nariko and following would get him closer to the girl. Instead, he would silently watch and offer support only when it was needed. Minato liked the boy but wished he was a little more open. 

"She hasn't really been here long, sir..." Naruto spoke up as it seemed everyone else in the room had lost the ability to speak. He shoved his hands into his pockets and shuffled on his feet, only looking at Nariko and not the ghost of a man standing there. "Actually... Tsunade here was just about to yell at all of us for opening the portal. So I should be..." He had started to laugh a bit but it had caught in his throat the moment another person appeared behind Minato. Minato knew that Jirayai had finally made it into the room behind him and wondered why this boy would fear up like that. "Jirayai?" Seconds ago the voice had been full of life and laughter, a little nervous, but happy. But when the name left his lips, it was nothing but heartbreak. 

"Did I interrupt something?" Jirayai placed a hand on Minato's shoulder as he looked into the room. The missing kids were there alright, and so was Tsunade which was strange. "Cat got your tongue or something, Princess?" Before Jirayai knew what had hit him, he had his arms full of his female teammate. A teammate who was crying into his chest and clinging to him for dear life. He looked up in confusing to the group in the room and was met with mostly the same confusion he felt. Until he locked eyes with the blonde boy in the center of the room. He could have been Minato's twin. The boy's bright blue eyes were clouded with sadness and tears were streaming down his face, and his eyes weren't locked onto anyone what Jirayai. "Oh... oh jeez." Jirayai never claimed to be a genius or anything, but he could read what was happening here. He was dead in this world. Probably had died just recently, which was why the reactions were so quick. 

"Poppa... Naruto lost everyone... you and momma and Jirayai too." Nariko's voice came from Minato's arms and Jirayai looked back at her to see the girl watching the blonde haired boy. Naruto. Of course, he'd been named Naruto. The name had been the one Kushina had picked out for her son, but at the last minute had to pick a new one when Nariko was born. His first novel had featured the story of a young hero named Naruto and that was where she had taken it from. Here in the flesh was Minato and Kushina's son. Minato must have gone to the same conclusion as him because in a second the man was untangling Nariko from him and moving to the boy. 

Naruto let the man wrap him up in a hug. Closing his eyes and just enjoying the comfort that came with it. No one hugged him much these days. Sure Iruka did on occasion, and Tsunade did her whole forehead kiss thing as often as she could, but it was nothing compared to this feeling. His childhood hero. The Yondiame Hokage. His father. He buried his head in the man's chest and let the tears continue to fall. They'd all have to leave now, and he'd be alone again. No sister, no father, no Jirayai. He'd have nothing all over again and the pain in his chest was making it hard to breathe. 

"He has lost so much... we all have..." It was Tsunade's voice that finally broke the silence of the room. "Sixteen years ago, a masked man released the Kyuubi from its seal. Kushina died just after giving birth. With no other option, our Minato was forced to seal the fox spirit into the only living Uzumaki... Naruto. Your son." She sniffled as she dried her eyes on her cloak. She didn't move away from Jirayai, keeping a grip on the man's arm. "He's done amazing things... befriended not only the Kazekage but forced that stubborn pig-headed idiot A to acknowledge him as something more than just a loud mouth." She was beaming with pride as she spoke. "The little brat's got a bridge named after him, and if pretty much this village's good luck charm. But if you say the word... he's yours." The last part was said in such a quiet voice that no one thought they had even heard it right. Tsunade was willing to just let Naruto go? 

"But Tsunade... you can't be serious!?" It was Kiba who spoke up. "This is crazy! Naruto can't just... leave. He's gonna be Hokage. He's..." Kiba shut up after a look from Shikamaru. Even the dog boy knew that Naruto didn't have much there. A few of their classmates followed Naruto but not like these girls and boys did for Nariko. They all still saw him as an annoyance that just happened to get results. If he went with them, maybe he'd have a better life. A happier life. 

"He can be Hokage on our world too you know!" Nariko moved to block Naruto and his father from view, glaring at the dog boy. "I mean sure I wanna be Hokage too but..." She looked back at her dad and brother and grinned wider. "I'd let him have it in a heartbeat." She nodded her head as she turned back to look at the group. The determination in her bright blue eyes. "If Tsunade's right... it'd be better for him. He'd have a family. Something he's never had before by the looks and sounds of things." She was willing to fight everyone in the room for Naruto and the blonde boy couldn't take it anymore. He pulled away from his father and took a deep breath. 

"I made a promise to Sakura, and I can't break it." Nariko turned to face him and he gave her a small smile. "I have to bring Sasuke back to her... I promised..." She seemed to understand what he was getting at and nodded before looking over to her dad. 

"Then it's settled. I'm staying here to help bring this Sasuke back, and then Naruto's coming home with me." Once Nariko had made up her mind there was no one on Earth that could talk her out of it. Minato knew this and gave her a small smile. Jiraiya groaned but hugged Tsunade tighter. Hey, it wasn't often he was able to touch her without getting beat up, so he was going to take every moment he could. 

"Then I guess I got no choice either. Looks like I'm gonna be staying to keep an eye on the little brat. But you lot..." Jirayai turned his attention to the other girls and boys from their world. Narrowing his eyes as some of them inched away from him further. "Are returning with your Hokage. Agreed?" Jirayai was waiting for the group to protest. Saya's glare was protest enough and he knew that no matter what the Uchiha wouldn't be leaving her teammate. Whoever this Sasuke guy was, he wasn't going to be prepared for the mess that was about to befall him. Jirayai almost pitied the poor kid, almost. 

"Will it be alright to keep that portal open for that long?" Minato looked over to Tsunade to ask her, seeing as neither he or Jirayai knew anything of the mirror and the portal it had opened. The woman nodded her head, not really wanting to move away from her teammate. 

"The portal's seal was designed to only be opened by a specific person. As unlikely as it seems, your daughter and Naruto here opened the portal at the same time. It made it lock into place and will remain that way until the two of them close it." Tsunade had to smile as the two blonds beamed at each other. Even from across universes, Naruto and Nariko had been in sync with one another. Tsunade had to wonder what would happen if they were to team up with someone, say a certain broody Uchiha heir. "Naruto, I know I said before that I wouldn't allow another mission after the last was such a failure... however... if you can gather a decent team with a proper jonin to lead you, I will allow it." Naruto's beaming smile was the last thing anyone in the room saw before Naruto was taking off out of the room, probably in search of Sakura to tell her the good news. Tsunade also would bet he'd be tracking down Neji to ask him to step in as the jonin. 

"Um.. he left me..." Nariko pouted for a moment before crossing her arms over her chest. "That's so not fair. How's he so fast anyway?" She turned her pouting eyes Tsunade's way and Tsunade had to snicker a bit as she felt Jirayai melt a bit and Minato had laughed nervously. Apparently, this girl's special power stemmed from her pouty face. Tsunade was glad Naruto didn't have one of those in his arsenal. 

"He spends a lot of time training with Guy and Lee. Both focus on speed more often than not, so Naruto picked up a few things. Jirayai... he was going to show him Hiraishin. But never got around to it, and Kakashi doesn't know it. I'm glad for it because that technique in Naruto's hands would be very dangerous." Tsunade laughed slightly, trying to cover up the hurt in her voice. It worked for the most part at least. 

"Well then I'll have to show the kid, ain't that right Minato?" Minato was laughing now and nodding, even as Nariko pouted more. Jirayai would hear about it later he was sure, but the girl had already proven to be unable to do her father's jutsus. It was a good thing she got her mother's talent for swords at least. 

"Well, we should be going. I didn't exactly tell anyone where I was going and who knows what madness would befall that office if I'm not there." None. Everyone would leave him everything anyway. No one would mind him going missing for once, and no one would search him out. Especially if Nariko hadn't been seen. They would all just assume Minato had taken his daughter out again, they had done it so often now that no one was ever surprised when he ditched work for the girl. He reached out and pulled Nariko in for a hug and pressed a kiss to the top of her head as she hugged him back. "Try to be good, and stay out of trouble..." He knew it was a lost cause to say it. She might look like him, but she was her mother through and through. Trouble with a capital T. "Saya... please don't let anything happen to her." He looked up at the Uchiha who gave him a nod just as Nariko let him go. 

"Go back to work poppa. You slack off too much." She turned on her heels then and headed for the door. "Where do you think we should look first, Saya?" The two girls disappeared out the office door without even a glance backward and Minato had to sigh. Tsunade was laughing softly behind him and he turned to send her a soft glare. 

"They're your problem now, Lady Tsunade. Please don't let anything happen to them..." Minato's glare turned serious as he looked at the woman. "If you need anything, just ask alright? No matter what it is." He stepped up to give the woman a hug and gasped as she nearly squeezed the life from him. He laughed and patted Jirayai on the arm before descending the stairs. 

He was glad for the moment that the children hadn't followed him. Because he had to have a small talk with one of his former students, and from the looks, he had gotten before, it was going to be long overdue.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **_Hiroshi Hyuuga_** is the male counterpart to Hinata Hyuuga. Hiroshi, just like his female counterpart, is a shy meek little thing. From a young age, he had been told that he had a place and there was a plan for him. He has never fought this place nor did he fight for his own freedom from it. He wishes he could take his cousin Noriko's place and made her the heir to the clan. He has always been a supporter of Noriko's, being sure that the girl knew that though he had no real say in their clan, he wanted her to be more than she was. Hiroshi also seems to have a bit of a crush on Nariko, though if this is because of Nariko's overly friendly personality, or for the girl herself.


	8. Chapter Eight

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the lack of chapter yesterday. I've fallen at least a day behind now due to work. But I hope to be back on track by this weekend. 
> 
> Thanks to everyone who have left Kudos. I never expected to get any attention on this fic at all and you guys have made it all worth it. Thank you so much and I do hope you all continue to enjoy the story.

Kakashi was finding it very hard to breathe, as he leaned against the wall, his eye tightly shut. His sensei, his second father, his friend, had just walked right through a mirror and had smiled as if nothing had been wrong. As if sixteen years of pain and heartache hadn't happened at all. Sure to him it probably hadn't, but Kakashi couldn't even think of that. He'd seemed so happy, so full of life, so much different than the last time he'd seen him. The night of madness that had sent Kakashi into his downward spiral. Minato Namikaze had looked like his world was ending, and he had been right. He had tried to give Kakashi a smile before he'd left to be at Kushina's side, but it hadn't worked. Both knew the risks that night held. 

They hadn't been prepared enough. Kakashi had gone over and over, again and again, every second of that night. Where had they gone wrong? What could they have done differently? Nothing came to him, other than blame. If he had been at their sides instead of at the East gate. If he had listened to his gut, something Obito had always told him was smarter than any rule or order. If Obito had just been there, maybe... 

"Stop that." Minato's soft voice broke Kakashi out of his thoughts and he blinked open his eye to stare at the man. "Whatever you were beating yourself up for, this time, stop it right now." Kakashi watched his sensei run a hand through the unruly blonde hair and watched a smile blossom on the man's face. "There are two little Namikaze children running around your village now, Kakashi. I'm sure they're going to be a handful, so you have to be on your toes now. No more of this... broody, blaming yourself bullshit. Okay? Don't make me get Kushina to come over here to have a talk with you." Kakashi shook his head and tried a small smile. He felt his eyes stinging and his chest tighten. A sob trying so hard to break through and come to the surface. 

"I'm so sorry..." Kakashi's voice broke on the last word. His hand shaking as he reached up to pull his mask down, all the while sliding down the wall that was the only thing keeping him upright. "I should have been there that night. I should have..." The sob he'd been holding back a moment before bubbled to the surface this time and he covered his face with his hands. He felt Minato dropping down to his level on the floor before arms were wrapping around him and pulling him close. "I failed Obito and Rin. I failed you and Kushina. I failed Naruto... I..." He couldn't stop the tears from flowing now that the dam had burst. Minato didn't say a word and just held him. Letting Kakashi continue to apologize and sob into his chest. 

Minato had a sense of deja vu as he held Kakashi. After a disaster of a mission to the Land of Water, Kakashi had returned the sole survivor. Rin, the medic on the team, along with several others, had lost their lives defending the young jonin. No one in the village had blamed Kakashi for the losses, but Kakashi himself. Obito had been beside himself with grief over the loss of their teammate and friend, but it had been what Kakashi had come back as that had scared the Uchiha. Kakashi had always had a shell around his heart, protecting him from heartbreak after the loss of his father. He hid behind the rulebook and busied himself with missions to keep himself from falling to pieces. That mission had shattered that shell. 

Years later Kakashi would be a different person, but a functioning one. Obito and he became inseparable, but a force to be reckoned with. It had taken Obito nearly a year to even get Kakashi out of their shared apartment, another year went by before Kakashi agreed to return to work. When Minato had approached the two with the idea of becoming senseis, Kakashi had offered to retire instead. It had been Obito to push Kakashi into the position. If it wasn't for Obito Uchiha, Kakashi Hatake wouldn't have even lived to see Nariko be born. 

But this Kakashi didn't have Obito. He didn't have Rin. He didn't have Minato. From the looks of things, he had no one but the young blonde boy, and if Minato was reading things right, he wasn't there for either. Minato couldn't even be angry. He was just sad. Here was a man who he had looked at as his son for so many years, and to see him this broken, hurt. There was no other way to put it. He was just hurt. 

"The young boy I just met has the world on his shoulders," Minato stared, tipping Kakashi's face up so he could look into the one visible eye. "But the light in his eyes hasn't dimmed. He's full of fire and hope for a future that he plans to mold. Hell, he just claimed to want to be Hokage standing in a room with two of us." Minato had to chuckle a bit, and Kakashi smiled at least. So it hadn't been the first occasion that Naruto claimed to want to be the next Hokage. That was a good thing. "I can't say that I know what's happened to you. I can't say that I understand because I don't. I wasn't here. None of what happened to you, happened to me the way you remember it. But what I can say is this," He gave Kakashi the most serious look he could and watched the man's eyes come back into focus. "You have not failed. Not Naruto, not yourself, not Obito and Rin, and certainly not me. You are still here. You are still fighting. You are still protecting everything that is near and dear to your heart. That isn't failing, Kakashi." 

Kakashi was silent as Minato helped him to his feet and wrapped him in a hug. If Kakashi squeezed a little tighter than he should have, the only one who knew was Minato and he wasn't going to tell anyone. Kakashi didn't want to let the man go but knew that he didn't belong there. He had a home to get back to. A life to lead. Kakashi couldn't keep him from it, no matter how much it hurt him to let him go. 

"Will you tell her that I love her and miss her?" Kakashi was glad his voice didn't crack when he spoke this time. He gave his sensei a last smile before he pulled up his mask and ran a hand through his hair, trying to pull himself together. "I promise to keep an eye on your little girl, but she's in good hands if she's with Naruto." Kakashi watched as Minato smiled brightly at him, his heart hurting as he took in the look that haunted his dreams some nights. "He's a knucklehead, but... he's a good kid." 

Minato laughed and turned from Kakashi to head back to the portal. He didn't want to leave just yet, but he knew that staying too long could mean that more people would come looking for him. He knew Tsunade would send the rest of the kids home in a moment, and he'd have to have a talk with each of them about forbidden rooms and portals. His day was getting longer every second he remained there, but he felt like he owed it to Kakashi. 

"If you need backup, I've got a friendly face who'd love to come give you a hand," Minato called over his shoulder, giving one last smile before passing through. He'd call on Obito the moment he could and have him on standby. If that had been Kakashi's reaction seeing him, then the reaction to seeing Obito would shatter the rest of the shell he'd seen in the young man's eyes.


	9. Chapter Nine

Sasuke Uchiha rolled his eyes as he watched Karin and Suigetsu fight again. The two hadn't stopped fighting for longer than a few hours since the day they had formed their little ragtag team. Sasuke should have cut his losses with the both of them and ditched the stupid team idea, but he'd kept them around. Even if their fighting got on his nerves, they were useful. Plus he wanted the company. 

They had been camping out on the edge of the Land of Fire the last few days. Avoiding the patrols and avoiding any in and outgoing ninjas. It had been difficult at first, but they had settled in nicely. Sasuke used Jugo to scout, as the man was unknown to any of the Leaf Shinobi that they would run into. The longer they sat there without anything to do, the more the attitudes and tempers flared. Karin would yell at even Jugo if the man stepped even a toe towards her, and Sasuke hadn't even been spared. Her anger reminded him of Sakura, but Karin never dared to strike out at him. She knew that Sasuke hid no feelings for her and would strike her down the instant she even thought of causing him real harm. 

It was a sad truth. Though he kept the team around, none of them had formed any type of bond with Sasuke. He felt nothing towards any of them, except as tools. They weren't Team Seven. They weren't part of the Rookie Nine. Even years after he abandoned those teams, he still felt something for them. More than he felt for Hebi, at any rate. 

"I swear you are the most irritating person I have ever met!" Karin's voice echoed around the area as she screamed and Sasuke's eyes shot towards her, narrowed and blood red. She froze instantly and blushed, backing away from him towards the tree line. Suigetsu didn't even both to smirk, knowing that their fight had just irritated Sasuke beyond the point of no return. 

"I have had to warn you several times," Sasuke's voice was even as he stood up. His sharingan spinning as he took a single step towards the annoying woman. "No more warnings. Get out of my sight." Sasuke's hand moved to the sword that always rested at his side, his eyes narrowing only slightly. Karin gulped and made a small noise before she was moving to gather up her bag. Sasuke could see the tears in her eyes, but he felt nothing. Not even an ouch of remorse. The woman had brought this on herself. 

"Aren't ya being a bit hard on her there, Sasuke?" Suigetsu was just watching the events unfold but he wasn't the type to just sit back and not say anything. Sasuke's eyes turned to him and Suigetsu didn't look away. He might not get along well with Karin, but he didn't want to see the girl abandoned in the middle of enemy territory. Plus he'd been the one to start the fight in the first place, at least this time. 

"You are welcome to leave with her. I'm done with you." Sasuke turned his back on the three, who were now staring wide eyed at him. None of them said a word as Sasuke scooped up his own pack and headed out of the clearing. "It was my own mistake to even include you. Stupidly I thought you'd be even half as useful as they were." He'd been wrong. The three behind him had been no help at all in locating his brother and hadn't even been there when he'd faced off against Orochimaru. He doubted any of them would have stood a chance against Kabuto, let alone the sanin himself. 

"If I see any of you again..." Sasuke's eyes spun back to look at the three, who looked shocked and frozen in place. "If you pose any threat to myself or my goal, I will kill you." With his last warning in place, Sasuke jumped up into the trees and headed away from the clearing.   
His mind was a whirlwind of thoughts as he moved through the trees. On one hand, he could seek out his brother on his own, risk everything and face off against him once and for all. On the other hand, he could do the one thing he should have done a year ago when he'd finally put the snake bastard in the ground. He stopped on a high branch as he took in the sight before him. As he debated with himself on his next course of action, his feet had moved fast and he ended up in the one place he never thought he'd see again. 

Konoha looked as peaceful now as it had four years before when he'd spared a single glance backward before joining the Sound. He remembered speaking with Sakura and then leaving her unconscious, he remembered the brief feeling of sadness as he looked at her prone form. He remembered the pain from the seal as he was put in that stupid barrel by the Sound Four. But mostly, he remembered the fight with Naruto. 

The blonde's words rang in his ears every night since. Even when they had seen each other again a year ago, the blonde had still considered him a friend. After everything Sasuke had done to him; putting him down at every chance since they were young, being irrationally angry at how strong Naruto was just on will alone, and then nearly killing the blonde and leaving him for dead in the Valley of the End. Naruto still saw them as friends. 

Sasuke knew he couldn't just walk back into the village. He had abandoned his duty as a ninja of the Leaf, he had left a comrade and teammate for dead and then joined up with an enemy of the village. Even if Naruto had the current Hokage's heart in his hands, there was no way she'd just let Sasuke come back. She'd be smart enough to see that the Uchiha had only come home to use Naruto, and she'd be half right. 

Sasuke wasn't stupid. He knew the Akatsuki needed Naruto and the stupid fox spirit he held. He knew his brother was charged with bringing the Nine-Tails to the Akatsuki's leader. Sooner or later Itachi would come for the blonde, and when he did, Sasuke would be there waiting. Waiting to kill the man responsible for everything wrong with Sasuke's life. Because it wasn't just about the death of their clan anymore. Itachi had been the reason Sasuke had abandoned everything he'd even grown to care about. He'd had to seek Orochimaru because it had been the only way. Itachi was the blame for it all. And maybe if Sasuke worded things right, the council would see it the same way. 

It was a long shot, but it was his only real hope. Unless Naruto had anything to say about it...

"Nariko! You can't just run out of the village, even I know that!" Sasuke froze were he sat as the voice reached his ears. Looking towards the gate he could see a blonde girl laughing and flipping out of reach of the blonde he'd just been thinking of. "We have to wait for Neji to get back from his family thingy. Then we can go track down Sasuke." Naruto was laughing as he continued to chase the girl around. If Sasuke hadn't had his Sharingan pointed at the girl, he would have guessed she was a clone and Naruto was training. But she wasn't a clone. She was real and she looked so much like Naruto, right down to the bright orange clothing. As Sasuke sat and watched the two, he couldn't help wonder what he had missed in the last few years. Could Naruto have found someone? 

"You know Naruto, you still haven't told us who this Sasuke guy is." The new voice came from a small dark haired girl who was watching the blonde girl with an amused smirk on her red painted lips. Sasuke couldn't tell much from looking at her, but his eyes did spot the necklace draped around her neck. The Uchiha family symbol sat there innocently, but Sasuke's blood ran hot at the sight. How dare this girl wear that. What right did she have to even own such a thing? 

"Um well, he's um..." Naruto's nervous laugh did nothing to calm Sasuke's rage, just fuel it further. This girl batted her dark eyes at Naruto and made him blush and stutter like Naruto normally did around Sakura. Sasuke couldn't stand it anymore and jumped from the tree, landing in the middle of the three teens. The blonde girl had stopped mid flip, pausing in a handstand to look at the new arrival, her bright blue eyes going wide. The dark-haired girl didn't even flinch, but her eyes did narrow. While Naruto fell backward on his ass after making a loud noise that was a mix between a scream and a yip.

"Here." His voice was a growl as he said it. His glare firmly planted on the dark haired girl, who didn't even back up a single step. Instead, as he watched her, her eyes started to spin and shift and moments later they bleed into the familiar red of the Sharingan. "What..." Sasuke couldn't help the confusion and shock that ran through his veins. It wasn't possible!

"I'm Saya Uchiha... and I am not impressed."


	10. Chapter Ten

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Two chapters in one day, and I'm back on track.

"Oh shit..." The words were out of Naruto's mouth and he was moving before Sasuke had taken his sword from its sheath. His hand was locked around Sasuke's wrist and his blue eyes were narrowed. "There is an explanation I swear." He couldn't let this fight happen. He didn't know what Saya was capable of, but he knew what Sasuke was capable of, and the thought of the two of them fighting was a bit terrifying. He could feel Nariko's eyes on him but didn't want to take his eyes off Sasuke for even a second. 

"You don't have to explain anything to him, Naruto." Saya's soft voice said, a hand reaching up to Naruto and gently touching his shoulder. If possible, Sasuke's eyes got angrier and Naruto wanted to sigh as loud as possible. Lead it to Sasuke to come out of nowhere and suddenly be possessive for no reason what so ever. None of it made any sense, and after the morning of zero sense making he'd already had, Naruto was at his wit's end. "By the looks of him, he's nothing but a loser anyway..." Naruto did sigh at that and finally stepped back as he felt the hair on his arms standing on edge. 

"Saya, Sasuke. Sasuke, Saya. She's your doppelganger from another universe." Naruto tossed his hands up in the air as he moved away from the two of them. "And I am so not getting in the middle of any more Uchiha family bullshit... ever again. Been there done that... I so should have gotten a t-shirt for it." He shook his head and flopped onto the ground, pulling Nariko with him. The girl hadn't said anything but was watching Sasuke with a strange look. Naruto wasn't sure what that look was about, and he wasn't sure if he even wanted to know. It almost looked like the same look Sakura and Ino gave Sasuke, but that couldn't be right... could it?

"Wait... if he's supposed to be me..." Saya looked away from Sasuke and over to Naruto, a look of concerned confusion on her face. "Why in the world would we have to leave the village to find him? He doesn't look lost or captured." Nariko seemed to catch on to what Saya was thinking and turned her own confused eyes to Naruto, who really could only shrug. He hadn't wanted to tell the two girls the story but now he couldn't avoid it. 

"Well, you see Sasuke here wanted to get stronger so he could kill Itachi. So he thought the best idea was to run away and join Orochimaru." Naruto glossed over so much that Sasuke had to roll his eyes, making Naruto smirk up at him. It was a familiar feeling that settled between the two of them, even from just a single look. Saya and Nariko exchanged glances, obviously, they understood the looks because they had been in the same positions themselves. 

"He is skipping a few key details. But it's not important..." Sasuke still wasn't sure if he should relax yet, but the way Naruto had just shrugged off his sudden reappearance had him wanting too. Even the two girls, who if Naruto was right was their twins, weren't setting off any of Sasuke's fighting instincts. "What is important is that I'm back and..." Sasuke's throat closed up before he got the last words out and he watched Naruto's eye roll before the blonde got to his feet. The fire he was used to seeing in those bright blue eyes was finally there. 

"And you what, Sasuke? Are you sorry? For ditching your friends, for leaving me for dead? Or is it something else? Are you here to ask for help?" Naruto shook his head and finally noticed how Saya's eyes had gone back to the Sharingan, and Nariko was gathering chakra to the point it was becoming visible around her. Had Naruto missed something? 

"You... left him... for dead?" Saya's voice was full of nothing but venom and hate as she spat in Sasuke's direction. Naruto took a step back but that action caused enough room for the girl to step into Sasuke's personal space, her hand grabbing a hold of his robe and pulling him down to eye level. Sasuke's own face showed no emotion, but Naruto could tell he was stiff as a board. He was just as shocked by this sudden turn as Naruto was. 

"I got better..." Naruto tried to calm the girl down but Nariko stepped in at that moment, a whirlwind of anger, and lashed out at Sasuke. Not a single one of them was prepared for the gust of wind-fueled chakra that shot out at the Uchiha male, who just barely managed to duck out of the way. "Girls! Wait a second! You can't..." Naruto's voice died on the wind as Sasuke's sword, normally secured at Sasuke's side, was suddenly in Nariko's hands. The girl had moved as fast as the wind to grab the sword and was now aiming it at the Uchiha's neck. Though she didn't have the Kyuubi's dark chakra within her, the same feeling could be felt. She was dangerous, even without the Nine-Tailed biju. 

"Apologize." Nariko's growl made Sasuke nod his head slightly, though he barely moved. Naruto wasn't sure if it was shock or fear that had the Uchiha acting the way he was. But in a second, Nariko was lowering the blade and Sasuke was looking in Naruto's direction. Naruto wanted to stop him and tell him he didn't have to. He understood why Sasuke had done what he had done. It had hurt him sure, but Naruto had eventually gotten over it. He'd moved on and had focused his attention on other things, like training. 

"I... I'm sorry Naruto. For everything." The pure and raw emotion that was coming from Sasuke made Naruto's chest ache. He wanted to wrap the Uchiha up in a hug and tell him that he was forgiven and that everything was going to be okay, but he wasn't the same brainless twit he'd been as a kid. Sasuke wasn't going to just be able to apologize and return to the village as if nothing had happened. He was officially a missing-nin, and he'd have to be held accountable for his actions. 

"It's not gonna be easy, Sasuke... you know that right?" Naruto's voice was soft as he did finally approach his friend. Sasuke's nod was all Naruto needed before the blonde wrapped his arms around his friend and hugged him tightly. "I'll take to Tsunade... she's gonna be mad but..." Naruto pulled back to give Sasuke a smile but it didn't really reach his eyes. Tsunade was going to be more than mad. She'd wanted to kill Sasuke after Naruto had been brought back to the village. Even if his wound had already healed, she'd seen the blood-stained jacket and the large hole in it. She knew what had happened, and Naruto would have had to be blind not to see the raw furry held behind her eyes. 

"But we're gonna get through it. I promise." Another promise that would be hard to keep. He'd be by Sasuke's side, of course, there was no doubt there. But would they really be able to get through it, who knew. 

"Well this is just adorable, but can we get back to the part where this loser wants to kill my brother?" Saya's voice snapped Naruto back to the situation at hand. She didn't look like the situation had calmed down, even if Nariko looked back to normal. She looked just as angry as she had a moment before, if not more so. Naruto hadn't really gotten a lot of the details, but he knew that Saya's remaining family was as important to her as her friendship with Nariko was. 

"Itachi killed our parents and every other Uchiha, it has been my only desire since that night." Sasuke's voice was even as if he had just realized how much of an idiot he'd been all these years. A single goal was fine sure when it meant you had some kind of future. But that had always been Naruto's issue with Sasuke's dream. There was nothing after the completion of the dream. No future plans. There was some talk of him working to bring his clan back, but that had never been Sasuke's real plan. When he had asked Tsunade her thoughts, she had said that it was a suicide mission. Sasuke had no plans to survive his fight with Itachi, he just planned to make sure he took Itachi with him. 

"You're wrong. Itachi would never do that. Ever. He loves me more than anything in this world." Saya was getting angrier as she spoke and Naruto stepped in between the two Uchiha. He didn't want this breaking into a fight. Not after the close call, they had just had with Nariko. 

"Two different places, two different events. You said it yourself that there's a lot different here, Saya. This is one of those things. I'm sorry, but... Sasuke's right. Itachi is a murderer, and eventually he will have to face justice." Naruto sent a glare in Sasuke's direction but the Uchiha never corrected him. "Think about it. My parents are dead, while the Yondiame still rules as Hokage in your world. Kakashi lost his best friend here, while your uncle and him are inseparable. And those are just a few..." Naruto shook his head and sighed when he watched the red fade from Saya's eyes. "Things are darker here and way worse than your world..." His voice was soft as he finished speaking, he knew Nariko was itching to speak up and he shook his head at her. The moment he did she frowned. 

"That's why you have to leave here. You think I didn't see the way those people look at you?" Nariko was waving a hand towards the village, her blue eyes filled with sadness. "You should be treated with at least some respect, but instead you're shunned and despised. Why cause you save every single one of them every single day by keeping Kurama at bay? The longer I stay here the more I'm certain you don't belong here. You belong with us. With your parents... with me." She grabbed Naruto hand and pulled him to bring him away from Sasuke but he didn't budge. Sasuke had a firm grip on him and was now glaring at Nariko. 

"He isn't going anywhere..." Sasuke's eyes weren't red anymore and Naruto was glad for it. He didn't want to be stuck in the tug of war that was happening, but he couldn't escape either. A part of him wanted to leave with Nariko, it really did. He wanted to meet his mother, to get to know his father, to not be shunned and hated by the village he loved so very much. But he had his friends here, and now he had Sasuke back. Everything he wanted was falling into place, could he really just up and leave it? He looked back over at Sasuke who was looking back at him with an unreadable expression. Before Naruto could say anything to him though, Sasuke was speaking again, and this time, he through Naruto's whole world for a loop. 

"He isn't going anywhere, without me."


End file.
